Summa Canister

Meaning, Term, and Glossary Definition - What is Summa Canister?

A summa canister is a stainless steel electropolished (or "summa" polished) passivated vessel used to collect a whole air sample.

To collect a sample, the summa canister valve is opened and the canister is left in a designated area for a period of time to allow the surrounding air to fill the canister and achieve a representative sample. The valve is closed before the canister is sent to a laboratory for analysis.
The sample may then be analyzed using a GC/MS instrument according to the EPA's guidelines for air, such as methods TO-14 and TO-15.